Local News

Mosquito spraying Thursday in Log Lane

Tickets written in town getting more expensive

A mosquito is shown biting a person. Log Lane Village will have a contractor spray for mosquitoes Thursday night. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

Log Lane Village should soon should have fewer mosquitoes flying around and bothering people.

The town's board of trustees recently approved contracting with Vector Disease Control International (VDCI) for mosquito spraying as needed, and the first such spraying set to happen Thursday night, according to Assistant Town Clerk Bobbie Mesmer and VDCI Front Range Regional Director Rob Kozar.

It will cost the town $400 for each application, according to Town Clerk Marty Dasovich.

Log Lane previously did its own mosquito spraying, but the motor in the spraying machine broke down and could not be fixed, according to Dasovich and Maintenance Supervisor Buddy Littleton.

But with lots of complaints from town residents about mosquitoes, the board knew something needed to happen, so they had Dasovich find a contractor willing to do some spraying. Vector Disease Control International is the same company that handles mosquito control in Fort Morgan, and that was the only one the clerk found who would take on spraying in all of Log Lane on short notice.

Now when Log Lane requests spraying, the contractor likely will do it on Thursday nights, Kozar said, as that is also when it the company would be spraying in Fort Morgan as needed. The contract with Log Lane calls for spraying throughout the town when that service is requested.

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Kozar said that mosquito season is winding down, so there likely would only be a few weeks left when the town might request VDCI's services.

But the town is looking to get back to doing its own spraying by next spring and summer. The board directed Littleton to find out more about getting a new mosquito sprayer built for the town that could hook up to the town's tractor.

Tickets surcharge

Anyone caught speeding, running a stop sign or otherwise violating the peace in Log Lane Village may find they owe a bit more than they expected if they get a ticket.

The Log Lane trustees recently voted to add a $25 surcharge to all tickets written in the town.

Marshal Darin Sagel had requested this action from the board in order to cover the administrative costs associated with such tickets.

"I think we need to add a surcharge to every one of our tickets," Sagel told the board. "This is something most law enforcement organizations do."

For example, Fort Morgan adds a $20 surcharge to tickets.

"Wiggins' is $65, which is more than some tickets they write," the marshal said.

He pointed out that Log Lane previously only received $2 of the total $17 surcharge on tickets. The rest of that money went to the state, Sagel explained.

He said that each ticket takes approximately two hours of staff time for processing and entering into the computer system, as well as costs associated if it winds up in municipal court and he or deputies need to appear there. The surcharge would help cover those costs.

The board agreed, unanimously approving adding the $25 surcharge to all tickets written in Log Lane.

Other action

The board also:

• Heard from Dasovich that the new water meter system could start getting installed any time now.

• Heard a presentation from Lydia Kiser of water/wastewater contractor WriCo about the town's water and wastewater systems and what needed to be done to meet state and federal backflow prevention mandates; she said that if she and Littleton did phone surveys of Log Lane businesses about their water systems, the town should be able to meet the requirements for that for this year.

• Tabled action on obtaining new playground equipment for the town park until after a work session to discuss options and related costs; any purchase of such new equipment would come out of the town's conservation trust funding from Colorado Lottery dollars.

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